Eight months, baby!

It's been a very busy month!  Rotations wise, Aaron has been on a surgery and I've been on pediatrics.  I've been loving peds, but have had pretty long hours, especially this past week, which is why I've been terrible about posting lately.  I have lots to share about our rotations, Stephen's visit, how God is making Himself known to us, and more, but on my study day off, I wanted to at least put the finishing touches on the post I'd started a while ago about our daughter before she turns nine months in a couple weeks!  So, without further ado...
 
Julia Grace turned 8 months on the 12th!

Of note...

• Julia has gotten SO LOUD!  She's still making lots of fun sounds, but she's recently discovered the joy of VOLUME!  There have been times we've been around a lot of people, and Julia raises her voice above the crowd.  She's also been growling a lot lately - too funny!
• She's getting really fast at crawling, is a pro at standing up, and is getting better at cruising.  We have to keep a careful eye on her because she's on the move!
• Julia is now an omnivore with the addition of chicken to her diet!  She's also been eating a lot of pears, plums, and lima beans lately.  I didn't tell her yet that I don't like lima beans much ;)   
• Julia loves boxes!  She's been playing with an empty Kleenex box and an empty diaper box a lot lately, which is really funny to watch.  Oh, the simple joys!
• Julia is such a wiggleworm!  She will NOT lie still when we change her diaper or her clothes very often now.  As soon as we plop her down on the changing table, she flips over and tries to crawl off.  She also cries sometimes when we try to change her, since we have to hold her still.  As soon as we finish, the crying stops.  It's pretty funny that she gets that upset about having to be still for 30 whole seconds!
• Julia has been sleeping with a baby doll.  It's precious looking at her sleeping in her crib with her baby tucked under her arm or with her hand grasping the baby's hand.  
• Julia is a babyzilla!  We recently pulled out the blocks she was given as a gift and she LOVES destroying towers as quickly as we can build them.  She gets this crazed look of joy in her eye as she scurries toward the tower, often growling.  It's hilarious and so much fun!

• Julia started clapping last week!  Not only that, but she claps whenever we ask her to, so she definitely connects the word and action!   Julia was with my mom and dad when she first started doing this, so my dad emailed me this picture.  She looked rather forlorn at the moment my dad snapped the picture, so my mom replied and said, "That picture makes her look like she is under duress, like we are MAKING her clap, no questions asked. She has to clap for every meal, toy etc..."  I then noticed Julia's bib: "What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's."  Hahaha!
• More than 2/3rds of a year old... I can hardly believe it!  We love you, Julia Grace!

Tooth and Lullabies

Tiny penguin toothbrush!

Julia has cut her first tooth!  We felt it for the first time last Sunday at mass.  It's really hard to see it because if we can manage to get a look in her mouth, her tongue is almost invariably over her bottom gums, and if you try to move her tongue, she resists by wiggling it and closing her mouth. The good news is that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree -  Julia loves to brush her teeth tooth!  I'm delighted ;-)  My good friends know that dental hygiene is a passion of mine.  It became more of an obsession during college when my dorm room or apartment and, hence, my toothbrush, was always just a short walk away.  I would sometimes swing by my apartment just to brush my teeth.  I think it's a good thing that my toothbrush and floss are no longer as easily accessible throughout the day; I might not have gums by now if I were still living on a small college campus. 

Julia didn't want the fun to end...

So, she waves her arms and legs excitedly to indicate she wants to brush again!

Julia had recently fallen into some nighttime habits that we're trying to change.  We've lately been trying to encourage her to fall asleep in her own crib, instead of falling asleep while feeding.  So, we've been doing a lot of singing and back rubbing.  Aaron whips out Latin hymns a lot, but he also modified Hush, Little Baby.  I started laughing when he was singing it to Julia, which probably didn't help her sleep!

Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird won't sing, Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring turns brass, Daddy's gonna buy you a looking glass.

And if that looking glass starts to fade, Daddy's gonna buy you a Gatorade.

And if that Gatorade is blue, Daddy's gonna take it away from you. 

I think I'd just keep the brass diamond ring if I were Julia, because it's all downhill from there!  She could always get the stone reset on a different band - haha!  

No blue Gatorade for you, baby!

Honestly, some popular lullabies have horrible messages!  Who wrote them?!  Hush, Little Baby is all about buying your baby the latest and greatest if any little thing goes wrong with the present you've already bought her.  Seems like a sure way to raise a child like Veruca Salt.   Rockabye Baby is about a cradle being suspended from a branch, the bough breaking, and "down will come baby, cradle and all."  Terrifying!  Haha!  I think we'll stick to singing hymns!

My Grandad

My Grandad Rick died last week, after a battle with cancer. Julia and I joined my parents and sisters in flying to Knoxville to attend his rosary on Thursday evening and funeral on Friday morning.

My Grandad Rick was a good man and a good grandfather and I love him a lot. He treasured his Catholic faith and I was blessed to have him as my confirmation sponsor. He was a joyful person with a marvelous sense of humor. I have so many wonderful memories of him. He will be so missed. I really wish Julia could have gotten to know her Great Grandad Rick on this side of eternity, but I am really glad that Aaron got to meet him on several occasions.

Julia did well on her first plane ride, and was so quiet and good the whole trip. She had a bit of a meltdown before take-off on our last flight on the way home, but she was completely exhausted by that point. A silver lining of the trip was that Julia had an opportunity to finally meet many relatives she hadn't met yet, including her Great Grandmom Anne.

 

 I take comfort in God's word, and am ever grateful for the gift of faith!

"'Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.  In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.'" - John 14:1-3

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself." - Philippians 3:20-21

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them (as their God). He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away.'" -Revelation 21:1-4